Tom Daley in therapy for dive phobia

Tom Daley says he is in therapy to conquer his fear of diving off the 10 metre platform.Source: Getty Images

BRITISH diver Tom Daley has admitted he is now so fearful of his twist dive he is undergoing “therapy” in a bid to cure himself of what he believes is a “phobia”.

The teenager took part in last weekend’s 10-metre platform event at the London Aquatic Centre, his first competitive appearance at the venue since winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.

However, this time around the 19-year-old Daley finished out of the podium places in fifth position, with the twist dive - which he had to repeat during the Olympics after being distracted by a camera flash - which let him down again.

Since the Games, Daley has not landed the dive to his satisfaction and he said: “The scale of this issue is massive. I’m trying every single thing possible to try and get it back to normal. I’m going under different types of therapy.

Tom Daley in action off the 10-metre platform.Source: Getty Images

“It is almost trauma therapy - to get myself to process the things that have gone wrong on it to get it to a stage where I can forget about it and feel positive about it.

“I am literally terrified of it. I suppose you could call it a phobia and I don’t know what my heart rate is when I go up there and do it but it’s definitely above 180, something ridiculous, because it is so terrifying.”

Daley will miss the next leg of the World Series in Moscow in a bid to get himself prepared fully for the defence of his Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow in July.

Since his Olympic success, Daley has become arguably even more well-known in his native Britain for his work as a television personality and for publicly declaring that he is in a relationship with screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.

Pete Waterfield, who competed alongside Daley in the synchronised event at London 2012, said his former dive partner needed to spend more time in the pool and less in the television studio.

“I know Tom’s been a busy boy with his shows, but I think that’s now starting to show through,” the 33-year-old Waterfield, who retired from diving in 2013, told the BBC.

“He needs to knuckle down with his training and his diving if he’s to achieve what he’s capable of achieving.”

Tom Daley of Great Britain looks on during the Men's 10m Platform Final in London.Source: Getty Images

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